


Fish Sticks and French Fries

by AnonymouslyFabulous



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Blood, DJD - Freeform, Decepticon Justice Division - Freeform, F/M, Gore, M.E.C.H - Freeform, Merformer AU, Nets, Spear Fishing, Swearing, Violence, everybody mermaids except reader, slight sexual content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-06-28 10:30:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymouslyFabulous/pseuds/AnonymouslyFabulous
Summary: Y/N was having a normal day; she'd caught a few small fish and was trying to catch her dinner, when something weird catches her eye.After that, her life changes. Forever.  And there are varying opinions on if it was a good change.





	1. Everything goes to shit

**Author's Note:**

> I love mermaids. And I competitively swim too, so I practically live in the water.

Y/N wiped the sweat from her brow, reeling in her fishing line. The fishing rod bowed in an arch as the fish fought wildly against the tension. She pulled hard, hand twirling the rod as fast as she could, dragging the creature through the water. 

Her arms were sore, legs tired and hands bleeding through her gloves. The sun was merciless as it beat down on her through the cloudless sky, sending buckets of sweat down Y/N's body. 

The fin of the fish broke the surface with a sudden splash, spraying Y/N with small droplets. She smiled, energy renewed. 

It was a bluefish. A big one at that. 

Y/N pulled the fishing rod again, hauling the fish up the side of the boat. 

The bluefish's gills pulsed and its eyes searched the skies, mouth open to accommodate the hook sticking in the side of its cheek. 

Y/N stuck her fingers under the gills and hauled the fish over into her small boat, taking out her long-nosed pliers in case it was too stuck to take out. 

"Gotcha." She whispered, unwedging her hook from the fish's mouth. It made a hissing, gurgling noise at her, and Y/N held the fish down with a gloved hand. 

Placing the hook aside, she straightened up to throw the fish into her Livewell. 

' _Another day another meal._ ' 

But something caught the corner of her eye. 

Something...flashy and red. 

In that moment of distraction, the bluefish saw its opportunity. It wriggled out of her hands. Y/N lunged for it but it was too late. The fish disappeared with a flick of its tail and Y/N cursed. 

"There goes my dinner." She grumbled, staring at the spot where the fish swam down into the deep. 

Sighing, Y/N swung her head around to see what caught her attention. 

She didn't see anything at first; the boat gently rocking on the waves with seagulls flying and screeching around her. The ocean looked empty, the blue surface rippling with waves. 

Thats when she saw it near the starboard bow.  

A net. A commercial fishing net. It was floating on the surface, seagulls perched on the hexagons that made up the net. They were poking at something in the water. 

"What the hell?" 

Y/N squinted, throwing her hand over her eyes to block out the sun. 

There was a rather large fin poking out from the water, bleeding from various wounds, probably inflicted by seagulls. The tail was wound in the net tightly, so tight that the flesh was drooping over the net. 

One might've thought it was a shark or a small whale by the shape and size. Y/N, at first, did think it was a shark, but the colouring was all wrong. 

She gaped. 

The fin was red with undertones of yellow, and gold flares of flowing dorsal fins on each side. It looked more tropical fish then man-eating shark. 

It twitched. Y/N started when it thrashed as a seagull poked at a rather large, bleeding wound, foamy bloody water frothing the ocean. 

Y/N stifled a gasp. Whatever it was, it was alive and clearly in pain.

She ran to her controls, turning the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life and the telltale sign of propellers slicing through the water almost scared Y/N.

She didn't know what to expect.

The engine was on low, and Y/N pushed the throttle slowly so the boat was coasting along the water at 5 mph. 

The fin stilled again, and Y/N crossed her fingers, hoping the creature was still alive. 

She pulled up alongside the net, careful not to hit the creature with the propeller and ran to the side of the boat. Heart pounding, she reached for the net. 

The creature thrashed again.

And something slapped Y/N in the eye.

Stars burst across Y/N's vision and she yelped, throwing back her hands to cradle her face.  Her eye stung horribly and her nose dribbled with blood.

"Alright. Not doing that again." She grumbled, wincing as a wave of pain surged over her eye. 

Taking her hand away from her blackening eye, Y/N went to the other side of the boat, flipping up a compartment to reach for a hook she kept in there when she reeled in bigger fish. 

As soon as her fingers clasped around the cool metal, Y/N took off to the net and swung the hook down, using the sharp point to snag the net.  

There was something wrong. The creature wasn't... _moving._

Y/N's heart stopped. 

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit." She hurriedly snagged the net and pulled it towards the back of the boat, blood rushing in her ears. 

Y/N lifted the hook over the engine and reached down to the net, discarding the hook once she had a hold of the webby substance in her hand. She forcefully yanked a handful of net into her boat, heart pounding as she watched the fin barely twitch.

The net was crowded over the body of the creature, so she couldn't exactly see what was in the water. She couldn't even tell if it was alive. 

Either it was the water, or the creature itself, Y/N struggled to get the rest of the netting in. The net was gooey, making Y/N's hands slip, as it slapped against the deck of the boat, making a big pile of algaey, brown rope. The smell was awful, and rotting fish were stuck between the hexagons of the net. 

Gagging, Y/N focused on saving the creature.

The heat of the sun was horrible, and her exhaustion only fueled her frustration. This was taking too long. The creature was going to die. 

With an angry yell, she hauled the rest of the net in with a huge pull, sending herself flying backwards onto her ass. The back of her head slammed against the deck, sending fresh pain down her spine. 

"Jesus Christ." She hissed, holding her head as she sat up. A headache was brewing in the back of her skull. She winced. 

Something slapped weakly against the deck. Y/N froze.

The creature was still alive.

Slowly, she looked up, hoping to god it was just an oversized tropical flounder that lost its way and got stuck in a fishing net. She could handle that. 

But nope. 

It was a goddamn mermaid. 

Well, merman. There were no classic coconut shell bras over its chest. 

Y/N covered her mouth in shock, eyes wide as she stared at the large body of the merman. 

He was panting slightly, gills pulsing wildly as it struggled to accommodate the amount of oxygen it was getting. Y/N was about to get a hose when his nostrils stared flaring, sucking air into its lungs with a powerful gasp. 

Blood pooled from his side, gashes that looked suspiciously like claw marks littered his chest, and his tail was missing chunks from the seagulls pecking him. The merman was limp and wheezing, still uncouncious and unaware of its surroundings. The netting was wrapped around its muscular form. 

Y/N scrambled up and backed away a few steps. 

"This isn't happening this isn't real this isn't happening this isn't real." She repeated, tangling her hands in her hair. The creature stirred and grunted, blood dripping out of his mouth. It wheezed painfully again. Y/N felt her heart break in sympathy. The feeling was overshadowed by fear. 

Y/N was hyperventilating now. 

' _What should I do? Should I call somebody? Should I help it? Oh god this isn't happening._ ' Y/N was panicking. Her hand went to grab her phone but she stopped. 

' _No. I can't call anybody. They'll just hurt him more.'_

"Okay okay okay okay. It's just a creature from legend. And it needs help so get it together," Y/N panted, slowly approaching the controls and sank to her knees. "You've experience weirder things." 

The creature groaned in pain, fin slapping the deck again, sending blood and salt water flying. 

Y/N reached under the controls and pulled out a first-aid kit, straightening up. 

"Cut the rope, stitch the wounds and let it back into the water so it can bother somebody else." She whispered breathlessly, kneeling down beside the creature. She slid her knife from the first aid kit and started sawing against the netting. 

Y/N was shaking, and her hand slipped, causing the knife to strike her hand. Stinging pain shot up her arm, and Y/N held back a hiss of pain. Instead, she continued to cut the net, her blood rolling down her hand and mixing with the creature's blood on the deck. 

The final strand of net snapped free, and the creature seemed to sag in relief. 

There were scales missing from where the rope rubbed it raw, pink skin exposed to the elements. It look like bad road rash. 

Y/N flinched. She knew all too well what that felt like. 

She placed her hands onto the creature, heart pounding against her ribcage, as she gently rolled the creature onto its back. She reached into the first aid kit, placing her knife back, and grabbed the stitching supplies. Y/N prepped the needle and threaded the stitch through. 

"It's okay Y/N it's okay." 

Y/N sucked in air and held as she pinched the skin on the largest wound together. 

He didn't move. 

"Whew." Her heart was in her throat, and she slowly sank the needle into his skin, drawing it out and puncturing the other side. 

She released the breath she'd been holding and repeated the process until the wound was fully closed. The creature didn't move, but he was clearly breathing and still alive. The couple times his eyelids twitched had Y/N tense and ready to bolt or do...something. 

She wasn't sure what she'd do if the merman woke up. 

Scream, she guessed. 

Y/N sighed and leaned back on her heels. She examined her work. 

The gash was puffy and red, the stitches poorly put in in her haste, and it was irritated by the needle. Her crappy needle job stopped the bleeding though, and Y/N took that as a plus. 

She moved onto the next, and then the next, until all four slashes were completely closed by her stitching. 

Confidence started to slowly build up in her as she moved onto his tail, already starting on the largest slash. She pinched the skin and sunk the needle in, doing her crappy criss-cross pattern. Her eyes focused solely on the wound, trying not to poke to deep into the merman's tail, or accidently stab herself with the bloodied needle. Y/N was entirely focused on the task at hand, becoming braver and braver with each stitch. 

But that all went crumbling down when she felt something land on her shoulder and rest there. She froze like a board, spine stiffened and heart stopping.  

"Heh, usually I save humans from danger." 


	2. What the hell are you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might make the chapters longer so I can cram more things into each one. This one is a tad bit longer.  
> Anyway, thank you to everyone that left kudos and such!  
> Enjoy!

Y/N did not think she would be screaming her ass off when she woke up that morning. She did not think her day would take such an unexpected turn when she made toast for breakfast. 

Y/N originally thought she could handle any curveballs life threw at her and walk away unscathed. 

Boy was she wrong. 

"AHHHHHHHHH!!"  

"Woah woah woah! Easy human!" The merman covered his fins, which Y/N guessed after her little fit, were ears, "Jeez! Are you humans always this loud?"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"  

Y/N dropped her needle and thread, only stopping screaming when she ran out of breath. She inhaled to scream some more, but the merman slapped a hand over her mouth. 

"Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Y/N felt the slimy hand slowly turn her head around to the merman's face and her gaze rested upon the most bluest, most brightest eyes she ever saw.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise okay? Now I'm gonna take my hand off and you better not start screaming because I think my ears are bleeding." The merman said slowly. Y/N nodded, eyes wide and she could feel her jaw dropping behind his webby hand. 

He let go of her, retracting his arm slowly and steadily like sudden movements would scare her into screaming again. 

Y/N, for the first time in her life, actually stayed silent. 

The merman rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. 

"My names...uh...Rodimus by the way." He offered. 

Y/N swallowed, mentally restarting her brain into speaking because she couldn't seem to find her voice.

"Y-Y/N." She stammered finally and Rodimus smiled, exposing sharp canines. Her heart stuttered. 

"Wonderful! You didn't scream! We're making progress here, this is progress!" 

Y/N stared at his teeth, the only thing on her mind was if he was gonna use them against her. 

"So...you live on land huh?" 

"What are you?" Y/N blurted out, watching as Rodimus winced when he sat up. His hand darted to his largest wound on his chest and Y/N saw him finger the stitches carefully. 

"I am...what you humans might call a mermaid, but what I actually am is a Cybertronian. I live-" Rodimus pointed to the ocean and grinned, "-in the sea." 

"How did you end up in the net?" 

The grin on Rodimus' face disappeared and his fins flared suddenly, making Y/N jumped and scramble back. 

"What-" His gaze landed on the pile of soggy netting and his breath stuttered, crystal blue eyes widening, "We need to get outta here. Now." 

Rodimus pushed Y/N up. 

"Why?" Her question was backed up by cold fear and she shivered. Rodimus hooked the net with his talons and started to throw it over the side of the boat. 

_'What's making him so nervous about the net?'_

"You don't wanna know. Just start the boat and drop me off somewhere other then here and don't tell anybody about what you saw." He glared at Y/N ferociously, pushing the last bit of rope over the edge. It splashed into the ocean noisily.

Y/N got to the controls and started up the engine, pushing the throttle to a nice easy 20 mph.  They coasted along the waves, the breeze tousled her sweaty hair, a nice relief for Y/N's overheated body.  The shade from the canopy on her boat didn't do much justice when there were holes speckled in it. 

 _'He's hurt. He won't be able to swim properly and he could die if he pops open the stitches.'_ Y/N thought suddenly, glancing back at Rodimus, who was trying his best to keep his long tail in the boat. 

"But...you're hurt." She shouted over the wind and engine. Y/N look pointedly at his chest wounds, "Your tail is pretty chewed up and you'll pop your stitches if you move too fast." 

"Well that's my problem not yours, Y/N. If I bleed out and die that's on me!" He shouted back, shrugging like it was nothing to him. But Y/N could see him wincing at the sudden movement. He wasn't fooling anyone. 

Even though she was scared shitless about this whole situation, her mom didn't raise her to abandon someone in need. Even if that someone was a mer-Cybertronian from the deep sea. Y/N tightened her grip on the steering wheel and shook her head defiantly. 

"No. I was raised to help people in need and you definitely need help." Y/N pulled the throttle back slowly, coming to a complete stop. They rocked along the waves, and it was almost soothing, "You're coming with me until you're fully healed." 

Rodimus crossed his arms. 

"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I need to get back to the others."

Y/N's head snapped up from her place. She'd been grabbing her lunchbox to feed him her ham sandwich. 

"O-others?" 

Rodimus mouth puckered and he said something under his breath. 

"Shouldn't have told you that." 

"Wait, wait what do you mean others? There are more like you?" Y/N looked at the ocean fearfully, wondering what else is under the surface of the water that scientists had yet to discover. Her grip on the lunchbox handle tightened. 

"Catfish is outta the bag now. Yes there are more like me. Some are big, some are small." Rodimus shuddered, "Magnus is gonna have my head for this." 

Y/N was struggling to comprehend what she just heard. Her brain was short wiring. 

"Woah are you okay, fleshy? You look pale." 

Y/N's legs trembled and she sank to the floor. 

"I just...need a minute." 

Y/N's heart was pounding, and her palms felt clammy. Her arm snaked up to the cupholders near the controls and grabbed her water bottle, taking a shaky sip and hoping that would calm her down. 

_'There are more. There are more of him.'_

Rodimus must have smelled her ham sandwich, as his stomach gurgled with hunger.  He pretended it never happened. 

"So...I'm just gonna head out now. Um, thanks for saving my life." Rodimus said, already trying to haul himself over the boat's edge.  He gasped in pain as a stitch popped from the strain, and blood poured freely out of his chest.  That snapped her out of her panic attack much quicker then the water would have.  Y/N set her lunchbox down, eyes popping out at the copious amounts of blood that now sprayed from Rodimus' body. 

"Why would you do that?!"

"Well, I have to get back! We have an, ugh, excellent medic back where I come from."

Y/N tore out her first aid kit and picked up her dropped needle and thread, cursing when she saw she only had a tiny spool of thread left, "Goddammit Rodrimus!"

Rodimus snickered, "It's Rodimus."

Y/N took cut a piece out of the thread with her knife and moved over to the bleeding merman. 

"Hold still then, _Rodimus_."

Y/N took the torn edge of the stitch and tied it to her piece before effectively tying the end to the other side, tightening it so the wound closed properly and that no more blood came out. 

He groaned quietly in pain. 

"So how far away is this medic, hmm? If you can't even haul yourself outta the goddamn boat without popping your stitches then maybe _you shouldn't swim_." Y/N finished the knot and punctuated her statement with a finger poked to his chest. Rodimus held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright fleshy! You've won!" 

Y/N pulled away, happy that she'd won.

"But I'll only stay until these don't pop, got it?" He gestured to his stitches, giving Y/N a defiant look. 

Y/N hmphed and crawled over to her dropped lunchbox and opened it, hand throbbing in pain.  She grimaced.

' _Gotta wrap that later_. _'_

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you something to eat.  You're probably starving." Y/N threw over her shoulder, taking out her ham sandwich and shuffling back over to him.   She shoved it into his unsuspecting hands, "Eat."

Rodimus held the sandwich up to his nose and sniffed deeply, his stomach growling immediately after.  She saw there were flecks of blood on the Saran Wrap and she went to clean it off when Rodimus tore off the wrapping ravenously, biting into it with sharp canine teeth.  He gulped it down in a manner of seconds. 

Y/N felt her stomach clench in hunger, but she ignored it.  Who knows the last time Rodimus ate?

Y/N peeled off her gloves and threw them down on the deck, leaning over the side of the boat, and cleaned her hands of any blood.  Her cut stung horribly, sending a hot flash of pain throughout her hand, and she bit back a yelp. 

"So, where we going?" Rodimus asked from behind her, licking his fingers clean of any leftovers.  Y/N straightened up, and flicked her hands of any water. 

"To my apartment."

"Wait wait wait, your apartment? As in land?"

"Yep."

Rodimus smiled toothily, and Y'N found herself not even flinching at the sight of his sharp teeth.  Maybe because it was a little less fierce looking since he had food stuck between them.

"Awesome."    

Y/N started up her engine, pushing the throttle to an easy 30mph.  She was a few miles away from shore, deciding that morning to fish in one of her favourite spots.  She always caught lots of fish there, so why not?

Y/N stalled, hands clenching around the steering wheel. If she hadn't gone fishing that day, Rodimus would have probably died in the net. She shivered, looking behind her. Rodimus was watching the water go by and breakneck speeds, sputtering everytime the water sprayed him in the face. He saw her staring and grinned.

Y/N focused on driving, trying to push the unpleasant thought out of her head. 

After a few minutes, she could see the shoreline coming up and boats parked at the docks.  She saw her space hadn't been stolen.

' _Thank goodness.'_ Y/N thought, surveying the docks. Rows upon rows of boats lined the shore, seagulls cawing to each other from their perches on the streetlights on each wooden platform. Some circled Y/N's boat, screeching at her expectantly. Unbeknownst to her, Rodimus winced. 

A few boats were missing, causing Y/N's heart to leap into her throat and she looked around the water, expecting to see a family on a pontoon taking pictures of Rodimus. Nothing. The ocean was empty. Save for a few pelicans. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

Y/N pulled back the throttle and stalled her engine, running back to where Rodimus was and crouched, ushering him to move over. She pulled on a handle in the floor and opened up a secret compartment where she kept her flares, fishing rods, tackle box, filleting supplies, and spare fishing rods, and other assorted things. She grabbed a fuzzy, thermal blanket she used when she fished on cold days and closed the compartment. Y/N held out the blanket to Rodimus, who gazed at her with wide eyes. 

"Put this on or people will see you."

Rodimus took the soft fabric, and cocked his head. 

"That's all fine and dandy, but how will you get me to your apartment? Flying? Oh! Oh, you'll drive the boat there, right?"

Y/N blinked in confusion, brows furrowing together. 

"I have a car."

"What's that?"

"Just put the blanket on."  

Rodimus did what he was told hesitantly, and curled down on the floor, laying still. Y/N went around him and poked flesh back under the blanket, just in case someone came by her dock and saw. Y/N took a few other items, such as her hook which was covered in blood, and shoved it under the fabric to make it more lumpy looking and less humanoid looking. 

' _Hopefully the coast guard isn't out today_.' Y/N thought, pulling the blanket even more down. Underneath, Rodimus was breathing as quietly as he could. At least he understood the severity of the situation.

Y/N got back to her controls and yanked the steering wheel towards her space, pushing the throttle to a nice coasting speed of 5mph. 

As Y/N pulled her boat into shore, she scanned the docks for anybody that might see her haul a merman out of her boat. Nobody was there, only a few people driving by on the road sitting on the small hill. Y/N saw her small car parked where she left it, and pulled out her keys from her pocket. They jingled in her hand, which caught Rodimus' attention.

"What's that?" He whispered, opening up the blanket enough so Y/N could see his eyes glowing in the dark. She yanked it down. 

"Stay here, don't move, and keep quiet." Y/N hissed as she climbed out, taking a rope left on the wooden dock and tying it to a metal loop on her boat. She pulled it the rest of the way in, grunting in exertion, and looped the rope around a post, tying it in a small knot in case the wind picked up that evening. 

Over the edge of her boat, Y/N saw Rodimus give her a thumbs up, before his hand disappeared back under the blanket. 

She took off in a jog to her parked car in the parking space a couple metres away. The pavement was hot, Y/N could see her footprints being indented in the black material, and she really hoped her car didn't sink down into it. That would suck. 

Huffing, lungs slightly burning, Y/N reached her car in the somewhat empty parking lot. There were a few other cars and trucks dotted along the provided lot, but nobody was in the vehicles. They must've gone out on their boats shortly after Y/N did. 

Y/N unlocked her car and opened the door, sticking the keys in the ignition and started the engine. It sputtered and came to life with a small roar, and Y/N took the PRNDL stick, closing her door first before putting it in reverse. 

Before she knew it, she was driving down the small stretch of road back to her boat. 

_'What if he's gone?'_

Y/N almost slammed on the brakes. 

_'What if he saw his chance and took it?'_

She shook her head. 

_'I guess we'll see.'_

When she pulled up in front of her boat and parked, she couldn't see anything initially. Nothing to suggest he was still inside and hiding like she told him. 

But when she got out and walked up the dock stairs to the side of the boat, she could see a tiny part of his tail poking out from under the blanket. 

"I'm back." She announced, sticking a leg over the side and getting in. She almost slipped on the deck, slick with blood and other fluids. Mostly water and algae. And blood. She curled her nose. That was gonna take a lot of scrubbing to get out of the deck. 

"That was fast." Rodimus quipped, sticking his head out and smiling. He shoved the blanket off and stretched like a lazy cat. 

Y/N motioned for him. 

"Let's get going."  

Rodimus scratched at his arm, flakes of dry scale falling off, and he smiled sheepishly. Y/N could see dry patches of scales starting to flake off his body. 

"About that...my scales can dry out and it's...not good for me let's just say." 

Y/N sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head, "Why didn't you tell me that before?" 

Rodimus shrugged, clearly embarrassed. He snapped his fingers suddenly and pointed to Y/N like he'd figured out the worlds greatest mystery. He was just short of shouting 'Eureka!' 

"Y'know the things you humans put on your bodies to cover yourselves up?" 

Y/N looked up, kinda understanding where he was going with that.

" _Clothes_?"

"Yeah those! We could soak them with water and I can put them on and it'll keep me moist until we get to your apartment!" 

Y/N stared at her clothes then glanced to the water, puckering her lips to the side of her cheek. 

"That could work. I think I have a spare set of clothes in my car," Y/N examined her blood-soaked clothes between her fingers, "Although I was gonna wear them." 

Sighing, Y/N got back out of her boat and thumped down the dock to her car, popping open the trunk and hauling out a small duffel bag. She closed the trunk and walked back to the boat, throwing the bag inside before she got in. 

Rodimus gave her a confused look. 

"Those aren't clothes." 

"Well duh." Y/N rolled her eyes and unzipped the bag, pulling out a baggy hoody, knee-length skirt, and a shirt she didn't think Rodimus would need.  She set them down on a clean spot where there wasn't any blood. 

Rodimus' eyes lit up at the sight of them, and he clasped his hands together gleefully.

"I've always wanted to try clothes on!" 

Y/N smiled, biting back a laugh, and took the hoodie, which read 'Harvard University' and leaned over the back of the boat, dipping it in water before handing it to Rodimus. She gave the shirt and skirt the same treatment, and turned around to give them to Rodimus. What she saw made her giggle. 

He seemed to be having troubles, like a toddler showing their parents they could dress themselves and _no they didn't need help because they got this!_

Rodimus was tangled up in the hoodie, arms above his head in the hole where his head was supposed to go. 

His tail flicked unhappily as he tried to pry himself apart. Y/N heard Rodimus snort, "Uhh, a little help here?" 

Y/N giggled. 

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. 


	3. Car Rides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in Rodimus' P.O.V so please don't be confused. A bit of a filler chapter I guess.  
> Finally FINALLY a new chapter. It's only been like 50 centuries. Sorry about that!

Rodimus couldn't help  _but_ touch everything when he got in the 'car' as Y/N called it. He couldn't help _but_ run his hands all over everything in the enclosed space. The leather underneath him fascinated him the most. That and the radio, which scared him on more than one occasion. 

**Young dumb broke high school kids**

"What was that?!" 

"For the last time it was the radio Rodimus." Y/N hissed through clenched teeth. 

Rodimus crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at her. It wasn't  _his fault_ he wasn't used to disembodied voices speaking through car doors.

There was a sudden zoom and it took a little bit of time for Rodimus to realize a car had just sped by them. Rodimus watched it drive away with wide eyes. It was the first one he'd seen since Y/N threw him in the front seat. 

It was hard, almost painful when Y/N scooped him up in her arms. She'd tripped multiple times, fell down on her bottom once, and when that happened Rodimus swore he heard a very unnatural crack come from her chest. Now, with her one eye bluish and a slight limp on her right leg, Y/N winced every time she drew a breath in. He'd asked her "Are you alright?"

That would look _great_ when he got back and told Magnus he not only encountered a human but also injured her. More. Than. Once. 

Rodimus could see the brig already. He'd have to practice his harmonica skills with a shell before he got back. 

Y/N'd answered with a curt "I'm fine" and she kept her eyes glued to the road in front of them.  Rodimus went quiet and continued to finger the clothes she threw on him. 

"Could that car see me? Because if it did, we're in big trouble." 

Y/N side-eyed him and didn't turn her head.

"No. They shouldn't have." Y/N pointed to the windshield and Rodimus' window. "See the darker tint?" 

Rodimus squinted. Yep. The window was definitely darker than the other car's. He nodded. 

"I got them tinted really dark because-" Y/N trailed off suddenly, and Rodimus barely noticed her grip on the steering wheel tighten. 

"Because...why?" 

This time, Y/N did turn her head. 

"Because I didn't like people spying on me. Simple as that." Y/N turned her gaze back to the road. "You good? Need any more water?" 

Woah.

That conversation was cut off quite quickly. Rodimus felt the usual nag in the back of his skull to pry Y/N for answers. It worked for him on Magnus, sometimes Megatron, so why wouldn't it work for Y/N? 

He decided against it. Y/N was neither Megatron nor Magnus. He narrowed his eyes. 

It definately wouldn't work on her. She had a certain air to her. He got that feeling of 'don't mess with me and we'll get along' when he was around her. 

"I'm good." Rodimus held up the edge of the sweatshirt between two fingers. Water droplets dripped from between his pinched fingers. "These hold water really well." 

"I meant if you were thirsty, but that works too." Y/N eyed his-HER clothes and shrugged. "That's what happens with clothes when you dunk them in water. They take awhile to dry." 

Rodimus smiled, letting his hand drop. 

"You sound like a professional." 

"I think all humans are professionals when it comes to that." Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Everyone's been caught in the rain at least once or twice in their lifetime, and know how long it takes to dry." 

Rodimus cocked his head. How long  _did_ clothes take to dry? 

"How long?" 

Y/N snapped her head to him. 

"M'sorry?" 

"How long does this-" Rodimus patted the sweatshirt front, "-take to dry." 

Rodimus listened intently as Y/N answered his barrage of questions. 

"What food do humans eat?" 

"How come humans are so messy?" 

"Is it true humans are Aliens?" 

That last one was disappointing. He was hoping she'd say yes but instead she squashed whatever hopes he had for humanity by saying "No. Aliens don't exist." 

After that, he went quiet, silently stewing over the new information. 

"That sucks." He'd mumbled. 

Y/N was very quiet for a time, and she'd occasionally look at him, before darting her eyes away back to the road. She looked concentrated on something. 

What that was, Rodimus didn't know. 

They zoomed past a small pond. A shiver ran up his spine at the sight of the rippling water.

Why?

He calmed his mind, taking a few deep breaths just the way Drift taught him. He certainly wasn't a master at it, and he looked like he was gulping air (Y/N gave him a few concerned looks). It calmed his stuttering heart, but only until they passed the next small body of water. Then, it picked up its frantic beating again. 

They passed more ponds and sloughs, and he still couldn't shake the jittery nervous feeling. 

His body tensed every time they passed one, like his body was _preparing_  for to pop out so he could fight it. His grip on the sweater tightened as they passed another slough, no bigger than the car. 

There were a few seagulls resting on the mucky surface, and immediately his tail began to ache from the bite wounds. 

After he woke up from the net and on Y/N's boat, he had the strangest urgency to leave it behind and go back to Ultra Magnus and the others.  He didn't know who put him there or why they left him to die.  When he first saw the net haphazardly thrown on the deck of Y/N's boat, his immediate instinct reaction was fear. 

He didn't know why.  

He didn't understand why his instincts had screamed at him to leave.  He didn't understand the urgency. 

Every time he replayed the memories before he met Y/N, it was foggy and very unclear. He couldn't remember a single thing after he'd left the group that morning to go wave surfing and let off some steam. 

And now, ever single time they passed even the slightest puddle, it put him on edge. 

Rodimus forced himself to relax.  He sank into the leather seat and sighed, trying to ignore the slight ache in his tail or the throb of his chest.  He focused on the road ahead of them. 

They continued on in silence before they  crested a small hill. Rodimus couldn't help BUT gasp in both awe and surprise at the sight before him. 

"Woah." 

There were buildings everywhere. Little ones, big ones, ones in between. Brightly lit signs with Human gibberish written on it, shiny buildings made of windows, cars confessing the streets, people flooding the sidewalks.

Some buildings had people outside with stands filled to the brim with foreign items. Forbidden items, according to Magnus. 

They rolled to a stop. 

Rodimus watched curiously through the window as girls dressed in skirts and hats sold boxes of sweets to paying customers. They had black bands of cloth around their torso filled to the brim with multicoloured buttons. 

"Girl Scouts." Y/N answered even before Rodimus spoke. 

She began driving again once the car in front of them started rolling along. 

Rodimus didn't have any witty words to say. It was beautiful. He was expecting it to be plain and...bland. 

It almost looked like what his home was before pre-war. People selling things on little stands, running stores with amazing food or even better items, or the occasional bar here and there loaded to the brim with people. Rodimus smiled sadly. 

His home was gone now. It was rebuilding, slowly but surely. It just wasn't the same. 

Instead of peace and harmony like the Autobot's hoped for after the war was ended and they claimed victorious, they got even more death and destruction. The NAILS, as Prowl called them, (Rodimus shuddered) were angry at both Decepticons and Autobots for ruining their home. 

Nobody could blame them. Except Rodimus. 

Rodimus shook his head clear of any murderous, angry thoughts and focused solely on what was outside his window.

After all, he was witnessing what few others could see. 

"I thought you humans all lived in tiny huts." Rodimus said.

He wasn't lying. He really thought they did.  He'd seen some humans live in tiny grass huts before on islands he stumbled across.  He assumed all humans lived in them. 

Y/N's eyebrows quirked and a smile curved onto her lips. 

"No.  Some people do, but not here.  We all live in big apartment buildings or houses on the other side of the city."

Houses? Apartment buildings? What are those?

Y/N struggled to keep up with all of his questions. 

"Houses are buildings people live in when they have enough money."

"Apartment buildings are bigger than houses.  They house tons of people."

"No, houses are not made of mud. They are made of steel and drywall." 

The more Rodimus talked with Y/N, the more he noticed she was a woman of few words.  She didn't really talk much unless she was spoken too.  Sorta like First Aid.  Rodimus wondered how Y/N would react to someone as talkative as Swerve.  Now  _that_ would be funny. 

Rodimus closed his mouth after the recent question got a short answer and turned his head back to the window. 

Rodimus recognized some of the items in people's hands or being sold or even on the ground; soccer balls, frisbees, beer bottles, beer caps, license plates...etc. There also were lots he didn't recognize.

He had sooo many questions. 

Rodimus waited excitedly until Y/N stopped at a supposed 'red light' (which meant she couldn't go and had to wait her turn) before he turned to her and pointed out the window towards a bunch of circled objects. 

"What is that?" 

Y/N leaned forwards to see out his side. 

"Tires." 

What are tires? 

Y/N must've seen the question coming from a mile away.

"Tires are what help my car move forwards. Without them, I wouldn't be able to drive anywhere." 

The light flicked to green. The traffic started to move again, and Y/N moved with it. Rodimus watched the tires until they were out of sight.

He really _really_  wanted to go out and touch everything.

The city was bustling with people. Rodimus had never seen so many humans walking around in one place. They were none the wiser to the Cybertronian watching them through a tinted window. 

Rodimus was actually kinda glad for that. He didn't want to know what would happen if the humans saw him. 

They passed slowly by a store with a sign that read 'All about that Bass!' and Rodimus could somewhat see fishing lines, hooks, little trinkets, and...

Nets. 

Rodimus trembled subconsciously.

His mind shorted everything out.  A haze settled down, blocking everything from his vision. Y/N disappeared, the store disappeared, everything did.

Suddenly, he was back in the water. No car, no boat. No Y/N.

Rodimus chest constricted. Where was she?

He opened his mouth to call her and stopped himself. 

Why was he so concerned about where she was?

Rodimus felt rope dig and rub it's way into his flesh, threatening to tear his skin apart if he moved even one inch. His tail was on fire as the seagulls pecked away at him, tearing open his skin to eat away at the soft pink muscle underneath. Rodimus' gills pulsed wildly. He tried to bare his teeth at the gulls, but his head was submerged underwater. 

He could only wait until Primus came to him and tell him how shitty of a follower he'd been...

"Hey! Rodimus!" 

Rodimus snapped back to reality. The haze was gone, he was back sitting in Y/N's car, the seagulls had disappeared, and they were parked outside of a brown dull looking building. 

Y/N's E/C eyes were wide and filled with worry. 

"Are you okay?" 

Rodimus pried his hands out of the car seat leather. He winced at the tiny holes his claws had made. 

Rodimus grinned even though his heart was still pounding wildly in his chest, even though his hand was shaky as he gave a thumbs up to her. 

"Never better." 


	4. <Insert Mission Impossible Theme Song Here>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not dead hahah 
> 
> So sorry for leaving you guys high and dry, but schools been a killer and I've been working on some other fics on the side as well.

The apartment building was silent. Nobody was outside of the elevators waiting for their turn, nor was the Janitor making his rounds through the first floor. Completely empty. 

The whole time on the car ride (except when she was answering all of Rodimus' questions, of course) she'd been thinking of a way to smuggle him into her room without anyone seeing. 

Rodimus was big, and she wasn't carrying him a second time through an even busier setting. Cars driving by would see, and people walking by or in the building would see a big ass merman in her arms. It was too risky. 

She thought about stopping at the pet store and getting a fish tank. Nope. He was too big to fit in the largest one they had. And she wasn't ready to part with a large chunk of money just yet. 

She was broke. Not entirely, but she was getting there. The boat was eating up a large sum of her cash. 

The only reason why she could afford the boat was because she didn't buy it. Her grandpa gave it to her when he passed, and it was stated very clearly in his will to give it to her. She was barely affording to make the payments and pay the insurance on that thing. Y/N seriously considered selling it and using the money towards her bank where she was saving up to go to school. 

She couldn't part with it. The boat had too much sentimental value for her. She'd grown up on it, laughed on it, cried on it. She had too many good memories on that damn thing. 

Y/N sighed and jammed the elevator summon button. 

She thought of a different plan when they pulled in. She was gonna grab another blanket, since they one they used was bloodied and back in the boat, and grab a trolley the apartment managers used to transport heavy things to peoples rooms. It would work. 

Granted nobody saw her lift Rodimus onto it. 

The elevator pinged and the door slid open to reveal nobody inside. She got in and pressed Floor 8, and waited for the elevator to go up. Her hand dug into her pocket, and she grabbed her keys. It wasn't long before the elevator pinged again and slid open to an empty hallway. 

_Thank God_

The walk to her room felt long. Even though she was walking on carpet, she could hear her own footsteps approach her door.

Her hands shook as she took out her key, missing the lock first couple of times before actually sliding it in and turning it. She opened her door, hinges squeaking, and she walked into her dingy apartment quickly. 

The familiar walls decorated with pictures of her and her family, a dull brown couch seated right in front of a medium sized TV and a spacious kitchen space coupled with a table and two chairs would have made her feel safe in any other circumstance. Too bad she was in a rush. 

_Blankets. More water in case. Extra things to make it look like I'm not transporting a human body to my apartment._

She didn't need the cops called because someone thought she was commiting human trafficking. 

Now _that_ would suck ass. 

She grabbed extra blankets from the closet by her door, and approached her fridge door, opening it up and scooping out a few water bottles. 

Y/N wrapped the blankets around the bottles, making it less to carry and grabbed some groceries, like milk and cream for coffee. Make it look like she had a ton of groceries to haul up to her room in case she was seen by one of the residents. 

Arms full, she headed out of her room, not even bothering to lock the door, and ran towards the elevator. Again, the doors pinged open to an empty elevator, and the ride down was just as slow as the ride up. 

Ugh. 

She practically flew out of the elevator just as the doors opened, dumped her stuff onto one of the trolleys in the entrance used for hauling in furniture, and ran outside towards her parked car. Thank god no one was outside. 

She stopped the trolley beside Rodimus' door and unlocked it. Rodimus tapped on the window in a friendly wave, and he grinned at her when she opened the door. Then, his eyes saw the trolley and she stifled a groan. 

"What's that?" 

"Something that'll help hide you. Do you need water?" 

"No I'm good. Could use a good salt scrub but other than that-" He shrugged. Y/N moved the blankets onto the ground, and helped Rodimus get out of his seat. She grunted in exertion at his heavy weight in her arms. Damn she shoulda put the trolley close enough that he coulda climbed into it. 

 _Fuck_. 

She gasped in relief when she set him down on the flatbed of the trolley, and Rodimus feigned being offended. 

"I am not _that_ big!" 

"Oh shut up." Y/N breathed, bending down to grab the blankets. Rodimus seemed to know what she was doing and laid down, curling his tail to his chest. 

"This work?" 

"Definitely." She covered him up, poking in the few places where he showed, and placed her groceries all around him. 

"Okay." She said, grasping the solid metal handle of the trolley, "Be quiet, stay still. If you don't, we get caught and I can't buy you McDonalds and get you fish sticks." 

Y/N meant it as a joke; after all, Rodimus was technically a fish, and it would be technically cannablism. Rodimus did not get the memo. 

"Ooo I _love_ fish!" 

"Cannibal." Y/N muttered, pushing the trolley along the pavement. God this was hard. 

"What's that?" 

Y/N shushed him as they entered the building, the automatic doors swinging open. She froze as someone she definitely knew walked out of the elevator, eyes on their phone. 

Fuck it was Jason. 

"Don't make a peep got it?" Y/N hissed, and Rodimus made the mistake of sticking his arm out and giving her a thumbs up. She shoved it down quickly, scolding him like a mother and child. 

"Hey Y/N! What's up?"

Y/N stopped moving the blankets around abruptly and brought her hand up, propping her chin. 

"Oh nothing just...buying lots of groceries." Y/N looked down to the fucking four things she brought and pinched her lips, "Lots of groceries." 

Jason's eyes widened at when she made eye-contact with him.

"Jesus Christ! What happened to your face?"

Y/N stilled, confused until her black eye throbbed in pain.  She laughed, waving a hand.

"Oh y'know...ran into a pole. The usual."

Jason didn't look convinced.

"You should see the other guy." She joked, hoping he would be on his merry way.  Nope.  He slid his phone into his pocket with a confused shake of his head. 

Oh shit oh shit he wanted to talk. 

_Quick Y/N! Think of an excuse!_

"So...I was wondering if you'd like to...go out sometime? Maybe fish? I see you like to do that." Jason blushed a bright red, hand coming around to scratch his neck. Y/N sucked in air sharply. She could practically hear Rodimus snickering. 

"Actually I'm...on my period." She finished lamely. Jason's face went white.  "I actually have to go...change...something." 

Y/N smiled in what could be defined as sweet and Jason chuckles nervously. 

"O-oh! No worries! I guess I'll catch you...later?" 

"Sure! See you around!" 

Y/N's face burned in embarrassment as she pushed the trolley towards the elevator. Once they were inside it, Rodimus snorted. 

"That was super smooth." 

"Oh shut up." Y/N snarled and Rodimus chuckled, falling silent again when the doors opened. 

The hallway was empty as per usual, and she stuck her key in the door, opening it and sighing in relief when they were inside. 

"Coast is clear bud." She breathed, and Rodimus sat up, stretching dramatically. 

"Damn you took awhile to get rid of him. Thought I would be permanently stuck in that position for-" His voice stopped, and Y/N saw him gaze around the room in wonder.  She mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of questions that would no doubt flood from his mouth.   

"Cool." Was all he said. Y/N snorted.

" _Cool?_ That's all you have to say? Not, 'oh what's that big shiny black thing in the corner' or  'what's that big rectangle standing in the kitchen'." Y/N deepened her voice dramatically to imitate Rodimus, and he smiled. 

"TV." He pointed to it and threw his thumb back at the fridge, "Refrigerator."

Y/N watched, dumbfounded that he knew what they were, as Rodimus crawled off the trolley and hauled himself up onto the couch.

"Now this thing, I have no idea what it is." He took the fabric between his fingers and inspected it as though just looking at it would give him the answer.

"You know what a TV is, and a refrigerator, but not a couch."

"Couch." Rodimus tested the word, though not saying it properly and rolling out the word 'cooch'. Y/N sighed as she unloaded the groceries from the trolley, placing them back in their respective places. 

"So anyway..." Y/N began, straightening after placing the milk back in the fridge.  Rodimus turned his head to look at her, crystal blue eyes bright with curiosity and life, "What happened in that net?"

Immediately the colour drained from his face, his eyes losing that spark of life and being replaced with shreds of hostility. Y/N didn't know if Rodimus noticed he was baring his teeth at a potted plant sitting on the countertop. 

"I don't know." He growled, "But whatever happened...obviously wasn't good." He gestured angrily to the stitches on his chest and tail.  Y/N watched him with wide eyes, heart pounding in her chest. 

She knew she would not survive if he decided to attack her out of nowhere.  Christ, she almost got a concussion saving his ass from the netting. Her black eye stung at the memory and she lightly ran a finger over it. 

"You probably got stuck in it and couldn't figure a way out." She chuckled nervously, and immediately it was like a light switch went off for Rodimus.  He smiled brightly like a child on Christmas.

"That's probably what happened!" He said in an almost dismissive tone.  Y/N's brows furrowed together in a frown, and she went to ask what that was about, but Rodimus cut her off.

"Now about those fish sticks..."

\--------

Rodimus couldn't sleep.

The bathtub Y/N so graciously offered him to sleep in was filled to the brim with Luke-warm water, almost like the tropical ocean he used to roam.  He already made a mess of getting comfortable, a towel as a pillow for him was sitting folded up on the brim of the tub, soaking wet from him accidently dropping it in the water.  Speaking of, water was everywhere, and Rodimus smiled to himself. 

Y/N was going to kill him when she found the mess of water everywhere. 

When Y/N moved him to the tub, his heart began pounding again, adrenaline coursing through his veins.  Though he didn't know why.  His memory was fuzzy, if not broken and hazy, pieces missing entirely.  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what exactly happened before Y/N found him. 

It was annoying on the car ride, not being able to figure out how he got in the net, but now it was downright angering.  What if it was important? What if it was something that could affect the quest?

Rodimus wondered how they were doing without him.  Probably running around like headless octopuses, not knowing what to do or where to go.  Megatron was probably celebrating his co-captains disappearance. 

Rodimus didn't blame him.  He'd do the same if Megatron went missing. Throw a party, have a few drinks; Then he'd go look for him. 

Rodimus twisted around, splashing even more water up the walls of the bathroom, absolutely soaking Y/N's towels.  The tub was small, he could barely fit, but it was something.  Y/N promised she'd buy him a kiddie pool tomorrow for him to sleep in the next night, saying it was way more bigger.

He had no idea what that meant. 

Those fish sticks were pretty good though.  Ratchet made better ones.  At least Ratchet's fish sticks were still alive.   

Sighing, Rodimus closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, hoping Y/N stopped snoring so loudly. 


	5. Surprise Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos! :)

Y/N was certainly not expecting such a big mess when she walked into her washroom to check on Rodimus' condition.  Honestly, she kicked herself mentally when she got surprised at the practically flooded bathroom.  Her curtains were shredded.  Her soap had a large bite mark in it and Y/N had no idea how he reached it so far away on the bathroom vanity.  Her bath-rug was absolutely soaked and would most likely attract all sorts of mold into her apartment.

And the culprit had the audacity to smile sweetly at her. 

"You little-"

"Couldn't get comfortable enough." Rodimus said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He slid a finger along the rim of the tub. "This procelin is very hard."

"Porcelain." Y/N corrected, and then she shook her head.  She was supposed to be angry. "That's not the point Rodimus! You got fucking shampoo on my ceiling!"

Indeed there was shampoo dripping down onto the floor.  The bottle lay squeezed out like a tube of toothpaste on the floor by her feet. 

"I did you a favor!" Rodimus argued. The tub squeaked as he moved to place both hands on the tub's rim. "It tasted horrible."

"You're an idiot for tasting it."

"And you're an idiot for leaving me alone with all these wonderful things." Rodimus leaned back and brought a soaked cardboard roll of what used to hold her toilet paper out from the water.  Y/N was pretty sure a vein was about to burst in her head.

"Where's the rest?"

Rodimus started peeling the cardboard apart, and without even looking at her, said, "I honestly have to clue."

\-----------------------

After finding out where her toilet paper went (it was plastered on one of the walls in her washroom and she really wondered how Rodimus reached that far) and after soaking more of her clothes for Rodimus, she set him down on the couch and flopped down next to him. She panted, arms burning from his weight.

"By the end of this, I'll be jacked."

Rodimus looked offended and lightly punched her arm.

"Now that's not very nice."  

Her pink sweater with a black cat on the front was the perfect size for him, yet he continued to pick at the strings peeking up from the sleeves.  His claws would get caught and he'd wait patiently for Y/N to unhook them. 

"What's on the agenda today?" Rodimus asked hopefully, and Y/N held up the TV remote.  She clicked the on button with her thumb, and Rodimus watched in awe.

"TV."

The black screen flicked to life, startling Rodimus so bad he latched onto Y/N's arm.  Immediately the news station channel came on.  A woman with shoulder length brown hair and a face full of makeup was talking about a possible homicide in a nearby neighborhood. 

"Neighbors last night in nearby-"

"What's she going on about?" Rodimus piped up loudly, drowning out the woman's talking, slowly unhooking his claws from Y/N's shirt. 

"Don't tell me you don't have any sort of murders going on under the sea?" Y/N said, turning her head to watch him. Rodimus went quiet for a moment, picking off a few strings still caught on his sharp nails.

"No...but we did have a war." He said without looking up to her. 

Y/N mentally slapped herself at the sad, distant face he made. She knew of how war changed someone; they came back a husk of their personality, jump at the slightest of sounds, an empty shell of who they once were.  She knew. It happened to her father. 

"I'm sorry." She said, sincerely.  She knew what it must have been like.  Her father rarely spoke of what happened, but when he did, he grew distant.   Then, the drinking would start.   

"Don't be. It ended recently so I guess that calls for celebration.  Halleluiah." Rodimus smiled, though it was sad.  Y/N placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed.

"How long did it last?"

Rodimus thought for a moment, watching the tv screen flick to a photo of a house covered in police tape. 

"A very long time. Millions of years."

Y/N, at first, guessed he was joking, and was about to laugh until she saw the seriousness painted on his face. 

"Wait, you mean to tell me you're millions of years old?"

Rodimus nodded, giving a small thumbs up. Y/N completely froze.  This...merman sitting in her home was an ancient fossil from however long ago? There was...no way that was possible.  Even the longest living creature on Earth didn't survive that long.  Rodimus had to be lying or something. 

"Surprise, I guess." Rodimus smiled.  There was growling, and at first Y/N thought it came from the TV, but then Rodimus looked to the kitchen. 

"Lemme guess...you're hungry." Y/N sighed. 

Rodimus nodded, smile growing toothier.  Y/N found herself already used to the sharp fangs hidden underneath and didn't shudder at the sight.  So, Y/N pushed herself off the couch and made her way to her kitchen.  The tiled floor was colder than usual today, and her single kitchen light flickered, promising that at some point it would die.  She'd need to change that. 

The fridge door squealed as she opened it. 

"What can you guys eat?"

"Anything really." Rodimus answered nonchalantly, "Preferably raw live fish." Rodimus turned to face her and smiled brightly.

"That's my favorite."

Y/N shuddered this time and shot him a scrutinizing look.

"That's disgusting."

"It doesn't taste disgusting." Rodimus shot back. 

"Remember when I called you a cannibal for liking fishsticks?"

Rodimus frowned slightly.

"Those weren't as good as Ratchets.  His were alive at least."

"Again, that's really gross." Y/N chuckled.  She pulled out some leftover porkchops she had the other night and set them on her countertop. Y/N paused in shutting her fridge door. Something felt...off.  Even though everything felt fine, and she was comfortable in the same space as a living merman, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. 

Y/N glanced out her window.  Through the tiny crack through her curtains, she could see the surrounding streets were empty, only a few cars parked on the other side of the street where a few businesses lay.  Rodimus wasn't the one watching her; he was busy watching the TV talk about a newborn giraffe. 

"So..." Y/N shook herself nervously and grabbed the plate of porkchops. "Millions of years old, huh?"

"It has its perks." Rodimus said.  Y/N sat down next to him and handed him the food. 

"You were around for the dinosaurs and stuff?"

Rodimus peeled off the saranwrap and grinned.

"Those big ugly lizards? Yeah.  I was around for the meteor that took them out too."

"What was it like back then?"

Rodimus paused in biting a porkchop, the last one on the plate (goddamn there were three there just a second ago).

"Primitive. The sea creatures back then were pretty cool I guess.  The one with the really long neck and flippers were my favorite."

"How'd you survive then?"

Rodimus set the now empty plate down onto the coffee table in front of them: "We went deep into this crevice thingy and stayed there for a few thousand years. That's when tensions really ran high."

Y/N was almost afraid to ask her next question with how dark Rodimus' face went.

"Between...who?"

"Us and the bad guys." Rodimus replied tersely, and Y/N feared she crossed an unspoken line.  Clearly, this war was still fresh in his mind.

 _Of course he'd still be touchy about it.  It went on for millions of years_. Y/N thought bitterly.  

"Anyways-" Y/N cleared her thought awkwardly.  She thought it was best to change the subject, "How were those porkchops?"

"Pretty good.  They taste different from the ones we find on islands."

"I imagine they would."

They fall into a silence after that; Y/N can't tell if it's a comfortable one or awkward one.  She just had to bugger it up by asking about the war.  _Again_.

Rodimus opened his mouth to say something, probably tease Y/N about her poor taste in shampoo choices (she still couldn't believe he tasted it), but was interrupted by the news station.

"Breaking news!" The woman said urgently.  The screen flicked to a dock, the dock she'd parked her boat at, and there were several police cars and transport units.  Weird dressed men took sample of blood on the deck of the boat, before someone in the same get-up blocked the camera's view,  "A boat docked near Miami was found covered in strange blood."

Y/N and Rodimus exchanged fearful looks. The scene flicked to an aerial view of the area.  There were at least fifteen of those strangely dressed men, all walking around her boat and picking up anything that was coated in Rodimus' blood.  The stitching needle she'd used, a few random items like the blanket, and...the net she'd used to pull him out of the water. 

Rodimus stiffened beside her, hands trembling just slightly. 

"Uh oh."

"Police were immediately called to the scene, and soon after, scientists.  There has been no information released to the public on who owns the boat, or whose blood was found on it, but we will be sure to cover this latest story."

The cameras on the ground were blocked off by heavily armored men, and one even shoved the camera away from the boat.  Suddenly, without warning, the TV switched to a brightly coloured commercial about bubblegum. 

There was silence, the only thing filling it was the cheerful song from the ad. 

"Holy fucking shit." Y/N whispered.  She turned off the TV with a shaky finger pressed to the power button.  She didn't even realize she'd gotten to her feet and started pacing back and forth, "I shoulda went back and cleaned it.  I shoulda went back and cleaned it."

Y/N's heart pounded in her chest, and she was sure she was having a panic attack until Rodimus reached up and grabbed her arm in a gentle hold. 

"Y/N-" Rodimus started smoothly, softly, "It's gonna be okay."

" _Okay?!_ " Y/N did not mean to shriek that loud but, c'mon, she was panicking. She shoved his hand off,  "They'll test it and find out it isn't human and then they'll track the boat down to my apartment and experiment on you or-or some weird scientific shit!"

Y/N didn't even feel Rodimus slowly guide her down onto the couch until she felt an arm hook around her shoulders. Rodimus' damp clothes pressed into her own dry ones.  She would've pushed him off, but at the moment, she didn't care. 

It felt...soothing almost.  To have someone to anchor onto when a panic attack was imminent.  Y/N found herself grateful for Rodimus' presence. 

"If I know humans, they're dumb...er, no offense." Rodimus said, and then he pointed to the blank TV screen. "It'll take them a while to find out."

"I'm sorry, but were you even watching?" Y/N said, "Those men were not dressed as your average everyday donut eating police officer.  They'll do some weird DNA testing or some shit and find my fingerprints on the net or something and then trace it back to me and-"

She was rambling.  Y/N had a tendency to do that when she was nervous. 

"They look familiar though." Rodimus mumbled, staring at the TV.  Y/N felt her heart drop to her feet.

"Familiar? Wait, you've seen those guys before?"

"I said familiar, not I know them." Rodimus said.  Clearly he was thinking, "I thought I saw them before I got caught in that net-"

He was interrupted by a slow knock on her door.  Y/N and Rodimus both stiffened considerably.  Y/N looked to her door, and then back at Rodimus.

"Who the fuck is knocking at my door at 8:30?" Y/N whispered fearfully.  She exchanged worried glances with Rodimus, maybe an _'I told you so_ ' look. She pushed herself off the couch slowly, and motioned for Rodimus to hide somewhere.

He shrugged and looked around, clearly trying to say he didn't know where to hide.  She scrubbed her face and pointed to the broom closet by her bathroom.  He nodded and gave a thumbs up, and Y/N had no idea how he was this cheerful after seeing a news story concerning them.   

The knock came again, more urgent and quicker than the last, making Y/N jump and turn to face the door.  Y/N stopped before the big door and she looked to see Rodimus had hidden completely.  If it weren't for the situation, she would've been very surprised at how fast he'd moved.  

Swallowing, Y/N's hand trembled as she reached for the door knob, the metal cool against her fingers.  The door handle clicked as she twisted it open, slowly, already regretting her decision to open the door.  She should've pretended she wasn't home. 

The door's hinges squealed as it swung open. 

Y/N was immediately greeted by a bald man with scars on his face, clothed in a black trenchcoat. He wore black gloves, clad in combat boots.  A pistol was at his hip, clearly exposed for Y/N to know that he meant business.  Behind him were two more men, wearing what looked to be riot armor.  The man in front tipped his head in greeting, a smile on his face that sent shivers of fear down Y/N's spine.

"Good morning ma'am.  My name is Silas."


End file.
